Yugo's First Turbo Duel
by M.E.Watkins
Summary: The story of an eleven year old Yugo, an average kid from the commons, and the adventure he has when he and his best friend Rin-Rin are introduced to a very special duel runner. (Might want to do one for each of the Yuya-boys, but I'm not sure yet. Lemme know what you think!)


CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!  
The sound echoed up the stairs like thunder, wakening all but the deepest of sleepers. A dozen blurry-eyed children slumped up in their beds and peered at the old grandfather clock that towered at the far end of the bedroom.  
The room filled with groans."  
"Five-thirty!"  
"Oh come oooonn!"  
"Does he have to do this every morning?"  
"Some of us are still trying to sleep!"  
"The sun isn't even up yet!"  
"What is wrong with him!?"  
"Uuuuuuuggggghhh!"  
One by one the children pulled up their blankets and buried their heads beneath the pillows, lamenting the loss of a full night's sleep.  
All but one.  
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! GULP! CRUNCH!  
A lone figure dragged herself from bed, half-heartedly straighten her covers and stumbled towards the dresser. With a yawn she dug out the first outfit she could get her hands on and changed in a nearby closet. Once fully dressed, she slowly marched into the hallway. The floorboards creaked beneath her feet as she made her way to the staircase. She tried to rub away the bags beneath her eyes.  
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! SLUURP! SLUURRP! GULP! CRUNCH!  
The sounds grew louder as she made her way down the stairs and beat irritatingly against her ears. She grit her teeth as she reach the bottom floor and dragged herself into the dining room. There sat a figure who was too consumed in his own business to take any notice of her. She took a moment to stare and then, shoving her grogginess aside, opened her mouth to speak…  
"YUGO!"  
The boy looked up from his cereal to see his best friend Rin-Rin glaring down at him.  
"Yugo!" She repeated, planting her hands on her hips. "Why do you always have to-"  
SLLLUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRPP!  
Yugo raised the bowl to his lips and chugged down the last of the rainbow-tinted milk, spilling a few droplets in the process. Then he slammed the bowl down so hard that it almost broke and reached for the stopwatch that dangled from his neck.  
BLEEEP!  
"Yes! New record!" He pumped his fist in the air. "Fourty-eight seconds to eat breakfast! That makes two minutes and fifty-one seconds for the whole morning! But I bet I could cut a few more seconds off if I could get Emmer to let me borrow his mouthwash. Then I could just gargle instead of brushing my teeth! What do you think Rin-Rin?"  
Yugo looked up with eager eyes only to receive a sigh in response. The young girl reached for a napkin and wiped up the spill.  
"You'd waste even less time if you didn't make such a mess every time you ate." She scolded. "And let me guess, you left toothpaste foam all over the sink too. And your dirty clothes on the floor and your hairbrush in the toilet-UGH! Why can't you act like a decent human for once!?"  
"Hey! The hairbrush was a one-time thing!" Yugo argued as he fiddled with his stopwatch. "It's not like you would have wanted to get toilet water all over your hands! And besides, I was in a hurry!"  
Rin-Rin scowled as she tossed the napkin into the trash.  
"You're ALWAYS in a hurry. And you're ALWAYS waking everyone up! Honestly, can't you sleep just go back to bed and sleep like everyone else? You're going to race yourself off a cliff one of these days!"  
"Who, me? Pffffft!" Yugo dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "Don't be silly Rin-Rin! Besides, Martha doesn't mind!"  
Rin-Rin could have punched him. The last thing she wanted was to say anything against their caregiver. She was the woman who'd taken them in when everyone else had turned them away. She was the one who'd given them a home, a family and everything else they could possibly need.  
Still, Rin-Rin couldn't help thinking about the thick door that lead to Martha's room and imagined how nice it must be to sleep where Yugo's morning routine couldn't be heard.  
"Besides you want to watch the turbo duels too, right!?"  
Yugo's question pulled Rin-Rin back from her thoughts. A small smirk popped up on her lips.  
"Well….not enough to wake up at five." She mumbled as she saw the eager expression on her friend's face. "So we're heading down to Signer's Circle, right?"  
"Of course! After yesterday's beating, there's no way The Raging Phoenix is gunna let Riptide get out of a rematch!" Yugo leapt to his feet. "Come on! I'll race you there!"  
He bounded towards the door like a speeding jackrabbit and flung it open with a bang.  
"Hey! Wait! What about your mess!?" Rin-Rin looked regretfully at the open cereal box, empty bowl and half-empty milk jug that had been abandoned on the table.  
Well…maybe she could deal with those later.  
With a final sigh, she raced out the door. A cold morning breeze blew through her hair.  
"Come on! We could already be missing a turbo duel!" Yugo hollered. He slowed his pace until Rin-Rin could catch up. Then they hurried off together.  
The sky was a dim purple with only a few streaks of orange to show that the sun was on its way. The black silhouettes of buildings loomed around them, the dirtied windows and grimy brick walls hidden beneath the depths their own shadows. Despite the early morning, there were already a few sounds tapping at the stillness. A baby cry here, an alarm ringing there, a milk truck driving past on its daily deliveries.  
And of course, the Topsider's district was where it always was. The glistening city towered above their own like it was floating on clouds, looking down upon them and all the rest of the Commons with the same arrogance and mock pity as it's residence.  
Rin-Rin frowned up at it, same as she always did.  
But Yugo didn't give it a glance. His ears were already making out the distant 'swoosh' of racing wheels.  
"They've already started! Come on Rin-Rin! We're gunna miss it!" Yugo doubled his speed, leaving his friend in the dust.  
"Yugo!" Rin-Rin shouted as she pushed herself to go faster, but Yugo didn't hear her. The closer he got to the park, the louder the sounds of roaring engines became. A shout broke through the air.  
"I summon another Battlewasp Twinbow the Attacker!"  
Yugo skidded to a stop as he arrived. Signer's Circle wasn't too pretty a place, just a lump of grass with a few splintering benches and a rusting playground that nobody had the money to take care of, but what it did have was a perfect spot for turbo dueling. An oval shaped road looped the park and there were enough abandoned buildings to keep it out of Sector Security's usual routes. Crowds had already surrounded the improvised track, cheering on whoever was dueling. Yugo fought his way past them to the sound of 'Hey!' and 'Watch it kid!' until at last he'd reached the front.  
VVRRROOOOMM!  
A pair of Duel runner's raced past, blowing his hair back with the sheer force of their speed. Within a few seconds, Rin-Rin was back by his side with a grin that matched his own.  
"Who's dueling this time? Is it Riptide and The Raging Phoenix?"  
"I'm not sure yet." Yugo watched the two speeding specks as they looped the far side of the track. "We'll see them when they come back."  
"With that, I tune my two Battlewasp Twinbow the Attackers with my Level two Battlewasp Sting the Poison!"  
A young man's voice called out again and as he spoke, his two bee-like monsters hovered higher. The smaller monsters morphed into a pair of glowing green rings that surrounded larger one. The lights grew brighter and brighter, mixing with a white light that came off of the remaining monster until they all disappeared in a bright flash.  
"I Synchro summon, Battlewasp Hama the Conquering Bow!"  
 **ATK/ 2800, DEF/ 2000**  
Now floating upon the field was a massive insect-like knight with shiny black armor and a bow that was almost as tall as it was. The monster took its place beside two of the remaining bee monsters, like a king among its people.  
"With that, I end my turn!"  
As the man and his opponent raced past them once again, Yugo finally managed a good look at their faces and a small squeal snuck out of him.  
"Hey! I haven't seen him before!" He pointed at the bug-wielding duelist as he rushed away. "The other guy's The Raging Phoenix all right, but I've never seen that guy!"  
Rin-Rin squinted at the distant shape and nodded her head in agreement.  
"You're right! I can't believe someone had the guts to challenge that guy!"  
"Ha! You insult me with that twerp of monster!" The Raging Phoenix, an older bearded man with a pair of shades bright enough to cause more glare then they prevented, waved his fist at his opponent. "Looks like you're bugging out!"  
"We'll see. Now make your move."  
"Hey! He seems pretty chill. " Yugo noted. "You think he has a chance?"  
"Well I-"  
"Flamvell Uruquizas! Attack his one of those silly stings!"  
The kids looked up to see the looming shape of a mighty fire warrior punching his fist into the smaller insect, shattering it entirely. The new duelist grunted as his holographic life point counter ticked off his lost life points,  
 **Shinji Weber: 1900 LP / Wrathurd Fenikkusu: 3500 LP**  
"Now thanks to my monster's ability," The Raging Phoenix shouted "The difference between your monster's DEF points and my monster's ATK points are-"  
"I activate my remaining Sting the Poison's special ability!" The new duelist waved his hand at the insect, causing it to vanish. "By tributing it, I can select one monster on your side of the field and negate its special abilities until the end of the turn."  
The Flaming Phoenix let out a growl.  
"You're more of a pest then I thought! I end my turn, but you better enjoy yours because you won't get a next one."  
"You know what, I think you're right." The new duelist calmly replied. "I draw, and then I attack you with Hama the Conquering Bow!"  
The archer raised his bow with an arrow of green lightning pulled against its string. With a flick of its finger, the arrow flew through the air and stabbed the massive fire monster straight in the chest. It let out a cry of rage as it disappeared from the field.  
 **Shinji Weber: 1900 LP / Wrathurd Fenikkusu: 700 LP**  
"I'm still…in this!" The Raging Phoenix shouted.  
"Hama the Conquering Bow is able to attack twice per battle phase." The new duelist looked back and smirked. "So no, you're not. Hama, end this duel!"  
Another arrow was shot from the monster's bow, but this time the hologram hit the duelist straight in the head.  
"Nooooo!"  
 **Shinji Weber: 1900 LP / Wrathurd Fenikkusu: 0 LP  
** The Raging Phoenix's duel runner skidded to a halt as its wheels locked up. He began his usual routine of cursing and calling his opponent a cheater, but his words were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd as the new duelist made his victory lap. Loudest among them were the voices of Yugo and Rin-Rin.  
"WOOOO! WOOOOO!" Yugo hollered as he leapt into the air. He would have landed in the street if Rin-Rin hadn't pulled him back. "That was amazing! Did you see how he was just so cool!? And how fast his duel runner was? He was in the lead the whole time! Like he was running circles around him! AGH! I can't wait until I get my own runner!"  
"Yeah, same here! It's going to be awesome!" Rin-Rin's face fell the tiniest bit. "Assuming we can save up enough parts that is."  
"Pfffft! Don't worry about it! We'll get our runner easy-peasy and then we'll be the best turbo duelist's in the whole world!" Yugo flung his hands up for emphasis and Rin-Rin snickered. It was hard not to get caught up in her friend's passion, especially when they shared the same dream, but she felt a twinge of sadness whenever she thought of how out of reach that dream really was for them.  
"Hey look! There's the guy!" Yugo pointed across the park. A pair of turbo duelist's, Fay Fatality and Crash 'n' Burn, were walking their runner's onto the street while the new duelist was fiddling with his own not too far away. "Come on! Let's go say hi!"  
"Wait what!? Why!?" Rin-Rin sputtered, but Yugo was already dashing across the street and there was nothing she could do but sigh and follow him. They came upon the new duelist, still fiddling with his bike. He muttered to himself as he pulled off his helmet, showing off his blue hair as he tinkered with the wheels.  
"Darn thing just doesn't want to tighten, does it?" He pulled his wrench as he forced the bolt on the wheel to turn. "Come one…."  
"Hi!"  
The duelist looked up to find Yugo bouncing in place.  
"Oh. Hey there kid." The duelist gave him a small wave before returning to his work. "And…there. That ought to do it."  
"My name's Yugo! And uh…." He turned around and gestured to his friend, who was gulping for breath as she stumbled up to them. "That's my friend Rin-Rin! And we think you were really cool out there!"  
"Heh, thanks." The duelist nodded as he got to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow. "It was pretty easy duel though. Just practice, really."  
"Have you….done this….before? We…haven't seen…you before." Rin-Rin panted.  
"Yeah, I come here all the time. Mostly in the evening though. I got work at Custom Wheels most days. Today was a lucky break." The duelist gave them both a smile. "Well, it was nice meeting you kids, but I gotta get back to the shop before shift starts. Thanks for the-"  
"You work at Custom Wheels?" Yugo blurted, scampering in front of the duelist before he could reach his bike. "That's it then! That's why it's so fast!"  
Both the duelist and Rin-Rin raised an eyebrow.  
"You're using an old 'Streamline' model, one of the runner types they let duelists in the Friendship Cup use when they don't have one of their own. But those only run at about a hundred miles an hour tops. Yours was going at least a hundred-forty." Yugo ran his hand over the navy-blue paint. Its metal still warm from the motor. "You customized it yourself, right? That's so awesome! How come you use one of these models though? You'd get faster speeds if you started with a runner that had a lighter frame."  
Both the duelist and Rin-Rin stared at Yugo.  
Then the duelist let out a laugh.  
"Heh, you really know your stuff don't you?" He smiled, ruffling Yugo's hair. "I wouldn't trade this girl out though. She's…special to me."  
"Why's that?" Rin-Rin asked.  
"Well, I found her down at one of the bigger dumps. She was a perfectly good working runner, engine purring like a kitten and as fast as they come. Sure she was grimy and dented in a few spots, but that was just because she'd been thrown out." A grim look crossed over the duelist's face as he clenched his fists. "Those stupid Topsider's just threw her out, like she was garbage. They've got so much money to throw away and such little concern for anything that they just tossed her aside without a second glance! It's not fair!"  
The kids listened with wide eyes as he continued, his voice growing more passionate with each word he spoke.  
"What gives them the right to think they're so above us? What have they done that we haven't done twice? Well I'm not going to stand for it. Once I can get the rest of the Commons to understand, we'll march straight up to their doorstep to take back what's ours. Then all the things they've taken from us, all the lies they've told us, they'll have to pay for every one of them. I'll be sure of that!"  
"Yeah! That's right!" Yugo chimed in, his entire body brimming with determination. "Someday Rin-Rin and I are going to be the greatest turbo duelists in the world! We're going to join the Friendship Cup just like Jack Atlas. Then they'll see what we can do, right Rin-Rin!?"  
"Absolutely!" She nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be right up there to help you!"  
The duelist laughed again, this time with a more sheepish smile.  
"Looks like I've already got two rebels ready to go! The name's Shinji by the way and if you guys are that interested in the Friendship Cup, then how about I help you out a bit." He stepped back towards his runner and sat down on the seat. "You kids ever wanted to know how to fix up duel runners?"  
Yugo and Rin-Rin both nodded.  
Shinji reached for his helmet and slipped it on.  
"Well then, how would you kids like a ride to where I work?"  
Their jaws dropped.  
"A ride on a…a duel runner?" Yugo mumbled.  
"To see where they fix duel runners?" Rin-Rin gasped.  
"You mean it!?" They asked at the same time.  
"Well, if you kids think you can fit in the seat with-whoa! Whoa!"  
Yugo and Rin-Rin had already squished behind Shinji.  
"Heh, okay then!" Shinji gripped the handlebar and pushed his foot down on the gas. The engine growled in reply. "You kids better hang on."  
VRRRRm VRRRMM VROOOOOM!  
The dirtied streets of the commons rushed past them and blurred with the scarlet shades of the sunrise like it was all one big painting. The cool wind rushed past them, carrying with it tiny bugs and the occasional cloud of smoke. Rin-Rin laughed as she unconsciously clung to Yugo's arm for support.  
"Oh my gosh!" She squealed. "Just…oh my gosh!"  
Yugo's face flushed a bold red, but he was too focused on the ride to notice. It was so fast! He'd seen runners going at this speed, but never realized what it felt like to be moving so fast. And he loved it! Just rushing past without a care in the world. It even better than he'd expected. When he and Rin-Rin finally got their own duel runner, they'd drive around like this all the time! He could hardly wait.  
Almost too soon, the runner skidded to a stop.  
"That was awesome!" Both kids yelled as they climbed from the seat.  
"Glad you like it." Shinji beamed with pride as he removed his helmet and slipped it back into its compartment. "Well, here we are. Welcome to Custom Wheels."  
The place looked more like a garage then any kind of store Yugo and Rin-Rin had seen before. At first glance it was just a big metal building with a faded neon sign hanging above it, but through its open doors came the whirring of drills, the clanging of metal and the scent of spray paint. They could see workers in big grey jumpsuits walking back and forth, calling out for tools and working on duel runners.  
Ant there were a lot of duel runners! From ones built from scrapyard finds to restored models like Shinji's with enough gloss to look as if they were brand new; there seemed to be a line of runners reaching all the way back to the end of the workshop.  
"Aw man!" Yugo marveled as he walked towards the entrance. "This is so cool! I've always wanted to-"  
"Yugo! Don't you dare wander off!" Rin-Rin stepped in front of him and frowned. "The last thing we need is for you to start messing around with stuff!"  
"Who? Me?" Yugo gasped as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "No of course not! I'd never wander off! What makes you think I'd wander off? I was just going inside to-OW!"  
Yugo let out a yelp as his friend wacked him on the back of the head.  
"She's got a point." Shinji added with a chuckle. "There's a lot of tools in here that can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing so don't start touching things and stay near me, all right?"  
Once both kids agreed to this, Shinji led them inside. A handful of workers stopped long enough to give the group a friendly hello.  
"Who're these kids supposed to be?" Asked a man drenched in motor oil. "Don't tell me they're yours? Aren't you a little young?"  
"Heh heh! No, nothing like that." Shinji chuckled. "These are a couple of fans who wanted a look around a real runner shop."  
"I'm Yugo! And this is my friend Rin-Rin!"  
"You know I can introduce myself." Rin-Rin mumbled to her friend, who didn't seem to hear.  
"We're going to be turbo duelists and win the Friendship Cup someday so we want to learn everything we can!" Yugo grinned.  
"Friendship Cup, eh?" A woman with three ponytails cast a mischievous look at Shinji. "Sounds like another duelist I know. You haven't already been chewing these kid's ears off with your rebellion idea, have you?"  
For the first time since they'd met him, Shinji frowned.  
"It's not just an idea." He retorted. "As soon as the time is right, I'm going to march up there and show those Topsiders that they can't just push us around! And if you think it's so funny then-"  
"Hey! Hey! Calm down!" Another man set his hand on Shinji's shoulder. "You know we don't mean anything by it. We agree with you! We're having fun, that's all."  
Shinji's frown doubled.  
"Look, how about we give these kids a tour now." The man turned towards them with a wink. "What do you guys say? Want the inside scoop on how we get these runner's running?"  
"Yes!" Rin-Rin nodded.  
"YOU BET WE DO!" Yugo hollered.  
"All right then! Just follow me and I'll show you how we take care of the engine." The man shot a firm glance towards Shinji. "You're still keeping an eye on them, right?"  
"Huh? Oh! Yeah of course!" Shinji's smile returned as he stepped forward.  
"Good! Well if you kids wanna come at these tools over here…"  
The tour didn't last long. It was still a work day after all and Yugo and Rin-Rin had to be back in time for breakfast (Second breakfast in Yugo's case). Still, the workers were more than happy to share their knowledge. One by one they walked the kids to their work stations and, with Shinji keeping a close eye on things, proudly demonstrated what they could do. In that one hour, the kids learned almost everything there was to know about repairing an engine, debugging a duel server, pulling out dents and replacing parts on duel runners. They were eager learners after all and their teachers were much the same. One worker even allowed them to take turns painting a runner.  
"Okay, just hold it steady." The girl instructed as she shifted Rin-Rin's shaky grip. "There! Now I'm going to hold the stencil. Just squeeze the nozzle nice and easy."  
PSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!  
A stream of paint shot from the can and splattered the tip of the lightning bolt shape with neon yellow.  
"Great!" The girl smiled with approval. "Now just keep doing little squirts all along the stencil. I'll tell you when to stop."  
"Come on Rin-Rin!" Yugo stamped his feet on the ground as he tried to hold still. "I want a turn!"  
"Yugo! I'm trying to focus here!" Rin-Rin growled, her hands shaking a bit harder.  
"Oh sorry! I'll be quiet and let you focus! Take your time! I won't rush you so just go as slow as you need to-"  
PSSSSHHHT!  
A splash of paint landed on the tires.  
"AGH! I'm so sorry!" Rin-Rin yelped. Then she turned back to Yugo with a scowl. "Look what you made me do! Can't you go for ten seconds without-"  
"Don't worry about it!" The girl interrupted. "Accidents happen all the time. We just got to wipe it off before it dries."  
"Oh! Oh! I can go get you a cleaning cloth if you want!" Yugo waved his hand in the air. "It's the least I can do! Please!?"  
The girl nodded and gestured towards the far back of the shop.  
"They're just inside the Maintenance closet. Second shelf to the left."  
Yugo took off towards the closet. He flung the door open and tugged on the light string hard enough so that it almost came off.  
"All right cloths! Where are you at?"  
The feeble light bulb chased away a handful of shadows to show mounds of cleaning supplies and spare parts that cluttered the shelves. It took the him only a few seconds to track down a rag before he was rushing back to clean up the paint mess.  
Or at least... he _would_ have rushed back to help clean up the paint mess.  
Instead something caught his eye. At the far end of the closet, hidden behind a shelf, was a duel runner.  
"Huh? What's that doing in here?" Yugo shoved the cloth into his pocket and stepped over for a closer look.  
It wasn't your ordinary runner, that was for sure. It was more decorative then the kind Yugo was used to seeing with its dark glossy body and sharp orange flaps all painted like new. The seat was covered in nicer leather and the small handful of scratches that dotted the sides had been so carefully repaired that they almost didn't exist.  
"Whoa! It's even a hybrid model!" Yugo marveled as he disconnected and reconnected the duel disk from its place. "What kind of make is this? And where can I get one!? Oh boy wait until I show Rin-Rin-"  
"Hey? Kid? You still in here?" The door creaked open to reveal the darkened outline of Shinji.  
Yugo jumped.  
"Agh! Hi! Sorry! I was just looking! I didn't break anything! I promise! I just…I just…" Yugo smiled sheepishly and pulled the rag out from his pocket. "I…got the cleaning cloth?"  
Shinji took one look at the scene and chuckled.  
"It's my fault for not covering it up. I would have stopped too." He took a step forward and examined the runner. "Doesn't look like you broke anything. That's a relief. The last thing I want is Blackbird breaking under my watch."  
"Blackbird? Is that her name?" Yugo asked, pointing at the runner. "She's beautiful! I've never seen anything like her! You're so lucky!"  
"Yeah, she's a beauty all right. A handmade model made right down here in the Commons that would put any Topsider runner to shame." Shinji noticed Yugo's amazement and quickly added. "Uh…she's not mine though. I'm just fixing her up for a close friend of mine. Kind of a personal job so I didn't want it out with the others."  
"Really? What's wrong with her?" Yugo peered at the runner. "I don't see anything broken."  
"You wouldn't be able too. It's digital, not mechanical." Shinji explained. "Some of the coding in the main Dueldrive is buggy and the Speed calculator is locked in at Counter-10. It won't even register the break systems anymore."  
He reached for a tarp and threw it over the runner.  
"Man…Crow sure knows how to mess up a runner." He sighed. "It's going to take me at least another week just to get her running right."  
"Oh!" Yugo raised his hand. "I could help you fix her! I don't know much about programming but maybe…I could….do something?"  
"Don't worry, I can handle it." Shinji snickered. "I don't think you'd know most of this stuff anyway."  
Yugo looked crestfallen, but Shinji was quick to brighten to mood again.  
"Hey, you're planning to turbo duel, right? Given any thought to what sort of runner you'd want?"  
A galaxy of stars lit up inside Yugo's eyes.  
"YES! YES I HAVE! It's gunna be sleek and fast and bright and shiny with a real reactor and lights in the wheels and…and…Oh!" His hand slipped into his pocket for a deck of Duel Monster cards and he fanned through them. "Come on…where are you?…where are…Ah-ha!"  
He shoved a card up into Shinji's face.  
"I want out runner to be just like this monster!"  
After Yugo managed to hold his hand still, Shinji took the card for a closer look. The dragon shown was a magnificent beast, as slick as a computer screen and as powerful as a top model hard drive, with cool green wings that shimmered like crystals.  
"I mean, it won't look exactly the same. Rin-Rin and I are going to share our runner and she already decided on yellow highlights instead of gree. She usually knows best though and yellow is pretty cool…but other than that, I want our runner to be just like that!"  
"Clear Wings Synchro Dragon?" Shinji carefully examined the monster in his hand. "Never seen this one before."  
"That's because it's special! It's one of a kind!" His face grew solemn as he looked at the back of his card. "When Martha…um, she's our caretaker. When she found me, she said I was buried in the back alley of a neighborhood market. I was crying really loud so she followed the sound over to a pile of cardboard boxes and once she'd dug through them, she found me. A dirty, tired, cold little baby…and that wasn't all! She said I was holding onto this card so tight that she couldn't get it out of my hand until I fell asleep!" A smile crept onto his face. "It's pretty amazing, right? That I was found back there and that I still had this card with me? And not just any card, a super powerful monster card that nobody's ever seen before, even though I'm from the Commons! It's kinda like a miracle. And that's what I want our runner to be like! I know it's not going to be easy for me and Rin-Rin. I don't even know how we're going to get a runner like this yet! But I've already had two miracles happen for me so what makes this so impossible? I want people to see us dueling and to remember about how impossible things happen all the time. Me and Rin-Rin are going to change the world someday and then they're all going to see that nothing can hold us back!"  
Shinji smiled at Yugo with such a look of empathy that he was almost a different person.  
"Yeah….yeah you're right." He took one last look at the card before gently handing it back. "Never let anyone tell you different."  
"YUGO!"  
Rin-Rin burst through the door and grabbed her friend by the shoulders.  
"Yugo! It's almost eight! We've been here all morning!" She shouted as she shook him like a ragdoll. "We have to go or we're going to miss breakfast!"  
"Uhhhh…" Yugo blinked dizzily. "Didn't breakfast already happen?"  
Rin-Rin promptly wacked him on the head.  
"Only for you! I haven't eaten anything yet! And we still have chores to do!" Rin-Rin let go of Yugo, who slumped back against a wall, and turned to Shinji with a polite bow of her head. "Thanks you so much for bringing us here! And thanks to everyone for showing us around! I'm sorry we have to go so soon, but it was a pleasure meeting you!"  
Shinji nodded.  
"It was fun meeting you kids too. Are you going to need a ride home?"  
"No, we'll be okay. I know my way around. Besides, _he'll_ get distracted if we ride." Rin-Rin grabbed the still dizzy Yugo by the arm and began dragging him towards the door. "Yugo! Come on, it's time to go!"  
"Uhhhhhh….what? Already?" He shook the last of the dizziness away.  
"Don't worry. I'll be dueling same time tomorrow morning." Shinji gave them a wave. "I'll see you kids then, ok?"  
"Oh…okay! See you later!" Yugo waved.  
"COME ON!"  
And with that, Rin-Rin pulled him out the door.

For once, Yugo's early morning routine was almost completely silent. No crunching cereal, no sliding down the stairs, no thudding on the floor, he didn't make a peep until he was out the door.  
Of course this was only because Rin-Rin had gotten up at the same time he did. She had followed him around all morning, whacking him on the head and scolding him every time he was too loud. Yugo didn't mind though. Even if he did have to put his 'Fastest Time Getting Ready in the Morning' challenge on hold, it was nice to have his best friend in the whole world up with him.  
"Don't think this is going to be a normal thing Yugo!" She checked the time as they passed a clock shop. They'd managed to get up even earlier then yesterday, just as she had planned. "I only wanted to make sure we get to see Shinji duel from the beginning this time. Now that you know how to be quiet, I'll expect you to not be so loud in the morning."  
"Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll try." Yugo put on an extra burst of speed as they reached the edge of Signer's Circle.  
They once again pushed their way through the crowds. This time the riders they saw were both familiar; a pair of decent turbo duelists they'd watched several times before.  
Neither of which were Shinji.  
"He's not here!" Yugo hollered over the sound of screeching wheels and shouting spectators. "Come on! Let's go find him!"  
The pair squished their way back through the crowd and jogged to where other duelists were fiddling with their runners. A handful of them glanced up as Yugo arrived with Rin-Rin close behind.  
"Hey! Have you seen our friend Shinji?" He asked the first he saw "He's got blue hair, blue runner, insect-type deck?"  
The woman set down her helmet and grimaced.  
"Hmmmm…I can't think of anyone…"  
"Oh! You mean the Battlewaps guy?" Another woman interrupted. "Yeah, he hasn't shown up today! Kinda a shame…I was hoping to get a duel in with him."  
Yugo's face fell.  
"Are you sure he hasn't been here?" He asked. "He said he'd be here today."  
The duelists shook their heads and Yugo's frown doubled.  
"Thank you for your help." Rin-Rin said as she took her friend's hand and walked him away. "Good luck dueling!"  
Once they'd gotten out of the way, she turned her attention back to her gloomy friend.  
"Don't worry Yugo. I wanted to see him again too, but I'm sure he'll be around later." She smiled. "Something probably just came up. For now, let's just go watch some other duels."  
Yugo looked back at his friend's warm smile and felt his own return.  
"Right as always, Rin-Rin." He said. "Ok. Let's go!"  
The morning sped by as it always did when turbo dueling was involved. Hour after hour past of the two cheering and groaning at every move, prattling on about strategies and techniques both good and bad, watching duelists race faster and faster as the sun raced higher and higher into the sky.  
But there was still no sign of Shinji.  
Eventually Yugo couldn't keep his attention on the duels. Every few minutes he found his gaze shifting back to the ever-changing swarm of turbo duelists fiddling with their runners. There was a good turnout today with a lot of rookies, or at least duelists Yugo didn't recognize. There was a man with antenna-like hair nervously shuffling his deck. There was a girl furiously taking her helmet on and off in search a comfortable position. There was a guy briskly rushing across the street with his black duel runner….  
black…black….  
"Blackbird!" Yugo shouted. Rin-Rin jumped and the rest of the audience shushed him.  
"What!?" Rin-Rin looked up at the sky. "What blackbird? Where? I don't see a-Yugo, where are you going!?"  
Yugo had already taken off, bursting from the crowd and dodging around turbo duelists as he jogged in the direction that man had been walking. He skidded around a corner just in time to see the man turning another one.  
"Yugo!" An angry shout and the sound of footsteps brought Rin-Rin to his side. "What is going on!? What's so important about a blackbird!?"  
"Not _a_ blackbird! _The_ Blackbird!" Yugo's explanation only confused Rin-Rin. "It's a Duel Runner Shinji was working on for his friend. It's super special and that guy had it!"  
"S….so!?" Rin-Rin gulped "He must…must have just…picked it…"  
"Shinji said it wouldn't be done for at least another week! And he wasn't letting anyone else work on it! That's why it was in the back room!" Yugo retaliated. He hurried down another corner to find the road filled with busy people and playful groups of kids. He fervently scanned the streets for Blackbird, giving Rin-Rin a chance to catch her breath.  
"Don't you…. think….you're overthinking….this!?" She gulped as leaned against a lamppost. "Couldn't…it just…be a-"  
"There!" Yugo took Rin-Rin by the shoulder and pointed. "Look right there! Do you see him!? He's right there!"  
Her vison focused on a man standing on the far end of the street. He was a scrawny guy with hair that stuck out awkwardly and clothes that look liked they'd been made from bedsheets. The way his eyes darted from side to side and how his body hunched protectively over the runner he was walked down the street already made him look like a guilty man but even with the brief glance she'd given it yesterday, Rin-Rin recognized the runner as the same one that had been in the backroom yesterday.  
"I see him." She nodded, removing his hand from her shoulder. "And I see what you mean. There's something up with that guy."  
"I know! We gotta catch him! Come on!" Yugo strode forward…and found himself choking as Rin-Rin grabbed his shirt collar.  
"Hey! Let go! We're going to lose him!" He pulled away, but Rin-Rin merely wacked him on the head. As the man hurried out of sight, she studied the street signs. Then she took hold of his hand and began running down a different street.  
"Agh! Hey! Rin-Rin, what are you doing!?"  
"He's heading down Uru Lane." She explained. "It's a smaller street that doesn't lead to many places. If he really did steal that runner, he's gotta be heading to towards the pier. It's the only place that way Sector Security doesn't have a usual route for. We can head him off there."  
True to her word, they reached the aging mess of wood and metal that the Commons called a pier at the same time the man did. There was only a few feet between them and the man but with all the pitched tents and broken-down shacks that huddle together here, there were more than enough places to hide. The two ducked behind a pile of rotting crates and watched as the man slinked through the camp. He'd covered Blackbird with an old blanket, but its shape was instantly recognizable.  
Finally the man wheeled Blackbird through the opening of large shack. It was one of the only buildings on the peer that could actually be called a building, but that didn't make it look any better. Barbed wire and bird feathers covered the roof and dozens of KEEP OUT! NO TRESPASSING! Signs hung from the walls.  
Yugo ignored them all. He crept towards a window without hesitation. Rin-Rin caught his arm.  
"You need to be quiet." She told him sternly. "And careful."  
"I know! I know! I will!" He shook her hand away and the two peered through the grimy glass. It was hard to make anything out, but there wasn't much to see. Mostly just old crates so their gaze went straight to the man. He pulled the blanket off of the runner, leaving traces of dust on Blackbird's dark surface. He knelt down and began timidly inspecting the wheels, hood and duel disk.  
Yugo felt his anger began to rise as he remembered how Shinji had done the same thing yesterday.  
"Yugo! Wait!"  
Yugo hadn't realized he'd been walking off until Rin-Rin grabbed him.  
"We have to get Blackbird back!" He whispered. "He stole it! I know he did!"  
"What? You just want to march in there and ask for it?" Rin-Rin hissed as she yanked him back towards the window. "We just have to wait for now…"  
Yugo frowned.  
"I don't doubt you Yugo, but it's not like we have any proof this guy's _really_ done anything. Maybe this is just a-"  
Pling! Pling! Pling! Pling!  
The man jumped at the sound of his cell phone ringing. His hand flew into his pocket and after a few seconds of fumbling, he picked up.  
"Hello?" His voice was as squeaky as a mouse. "Who is-Oh! Ms. Sayama! I…Oh yes! Of course! I'm so sorry! You called when I was in the middle of..well that's not important. The point is….Yes! I was just about to say that! I have the runner you wanted."  
A look of irritation crossed the man's face as he began pacing the shack.  
"No, it's not a copy! It's the real one!...Well if you don't want to believe me, fine! I'll just sell it to someone else!"  
"Wha-"  
Rin-Rin's hand slapped over Yugo's mouth before he could finish. Luckily, the man hadn't noticed.  
"…All right, that's better." He continued, looking pleased. "Now anyway, I was thinking we could meet down at Rockway tonight. I believe that's convenient enough for you, right?...Yes….By the way, I've been thinking. I'm just not so sure about the price we settle on…It retrospect it seems a bit…small? If you really did want this runner the maybe I could…"  
The man continued to negotiate his price, but the kids had heard enough.  
"Well that's more than enough proof for me." Rin-Rin said. "What a scumbag! Come Yugo let's go find Shinji and…"  
She was alone.  
"Yugo!?" She spun around in circles, trying to figure out where he'd disappeared tp. "Yugo!? Yugo where…Oh no."  
Sure enough, as she turned back to the window she saw her friend creeping inside. The man was turned the other way, too consumed with his phone call to notice. The duel runner separated the two. Yugo kept a close eye on the man as he tip-toed towards the runner.  
Rin-Rin gripped the bottom of the window and stared Yugo down more intensely then she ever had in her life.  
"No! No! No! Turn! Around!" She mouthed the words, begging that he would glance up at her, but he didn't.  
Yugo's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he scurried across the floor.  
 _"Ok."_ He though, trying to calm himself. _"Here's Blackwing. I just have to get her out of here. Piece of cake."  
_ His gaze flickered up at the man every few seconds as he cautiously stepped over to Blackwing's side. His hands seemed to move through water as they reached for the handlebars. He pushed forward.  
The runner didn't move.  
 _"No. No, don't panic."_ Yugo thought when his heart jumped. _"He must have turned on some kind of wheel lock. Smart. I just have to find the switch for it. Easy-peasy."  
_ He raised his leg and pulled himself up. He turned his head to check on the man. He was still on the phone. Good.  
 _"Let's see here."_  
The dashboard was covered in in switches, buttons, gages and counters.  
 _"Whoa! I didn't even see this before! I don't even know what half of these…No! Stay focused! I just got to find the wheel unlock. Simple."  
_ He started going through what he knew.  
 _Ok. This one's by the screen projector so it must go to that. Those ones are a set so they're out. It's going to be a standalone switch or button….probably a switch. You'd want to save the buttons for when you're actually driving…so...it must be…this one!"_  
Yugo reached for a red switch and flipped it off. There was a click and a faint sound of released air as the runner inched forward into a more natural position.  
 _"Yes! I did it!"  
_ "Hey!"  
Yugo swung his head around. The man stared down at him in shock. The phone hung in his hand, still mumbling with the sound of whoever was on the other line.  
A terrified grin stretched across Yugo's face.  
"Uh...hi?"  
"Wh-what are you? What are you…" The man's face twisted into a scowl. "Get off of that!"  
Thin hands clamped onto Yugo's arms and tried to yank him from the runner, but Yugo instinctively clung to the handlebars.  
"Let go of me!" He struggled and kicked at the man. "This isn't yours!"  
"Get..off…you little…brat!" The man grunted. He pulled harder, using his foot to leverage himself as he tried to drag Yugo from the runner.  
"No! It's…not yours! It's…"  
"Let go of him!"  
Rin-Rin burst through the entrance and charged straight at the man.  
"What-agh!"  
The man stumbled forward onto the runner, squishing Yugo into the dashboard.  
Yugo's forehead hit the ignition switch.  
Vrrr, Vrrrr…VRROOOOOOOMM!  
They barely had a second to hear the engine start.  
"WAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!  
Three sets of screams spun together. Rin-Rin dove out of the way as the runner rocketed out the door.  
"Yugo!" She squealed as rushed outside. Out in the distance runner was already a mile away, but she still ran after it as fast as her legs would allow. "Yugo hang on! I'm coming!"  
Yugo couldn't hear her. He was still screaming as the runner sped down the pier. He could barely process the shrieks of panicking people or the clangs and crashes that jolted Blackbird. It was like the runner had the mind of a frantic animal, swerving left and right without any direction, trying to find a way out.  
"Kid! Kid!  
Yugo ventured a quick glance. The man was behind him, gripping the seat for dear life.  
"Why didn't you let go!?" Yugo shouted. Between the rushing wind and the roaring engine, he could barely even hear his own voice.  
"Shut up! Shut up, okay!" The man stammered back. "Just stop this crazy thing and get me off!"  
At the word 'Stop' Yugo jammed his foot into the brake pedal.  
Nothing happened.  
 _"What's wrong with this thing!?"_  
Yugo frantically rammed his foot into the pedal until it dawned upon him.  
 _"The coding in the main Dueldrive is completely buggy and the Speed calculator is locked in at Counter-10. It won't even register the break systems anymore."_  
The breaks were broken. They had no way to stop.  
"Kid! Kid!" The man squealed.  
The end of the pier was just up ahead. Then there would be nothing but deep endless ocean.  
"The breaks aren't working!" Yugo cried "Wh-what do I do!?"  
"They what!?"  
Without warning the man reached past him and began pressing buttons.  
"Come on! One of these has work!"  
"Hey stop it!" The runner spun even further out of control as the man fidgeted with the controls. Light flickered on and off, the duel disk popped in and out, a horn went off.  
And the ocean was just ahead.  
"AAAHHHHHHHHH!"  
Yugo threw his arms around the runner, the man threw his arms around him and they both clenched their eyes shut as they waited to hit the cold water.  
Fwwwing! Fwwwing! VRROOOOOOM!  
There came a metallic sound, followed by the charging engine.  
Then it was quiet.  
Yugo opened his eyes and lifted his head.  
The camp was gone.  
The pier was gone.  
The ground was gone.  
Yugo's jaw dropped.  
All around them was sky. Bright blue sky dotted with fluffy patches of clouds whooshing past. The wind whipped through his hair, cold, crisp and salty to his lips. He timidly peaked over the side.  
There was the ocean, a deep blue blanket full of wrinkles, sparkling with the bright sunlight. Yugo noticed his foot and there beside it, poking out from the runner's side were large black wings. Just like the ones you'd see on an airplane.  
"We're….we're flying." He let out a giggle. "We're actually flying! Oh wow!"  
"Huh?" The man was still clinging to his back, shaking like a leaf. "Wh-what do you mean we're….OH MY GODS!"  
The man held even tighter onto Yugo.  
"This is so cool!" Yugo laughed as he took in the view. "Blackbird, you're amazing! Look how high we are! Hey! There's the pier back there! It's so tiny!"  
"Yup! It's greeaaat!" Moaned a voice from behind him. "Isn't it wonderful that we're FLYING OVER THE OCEAN ON A CRAZY DUEL RUNNER WITHOUT ANY BREAKS! OH YEAH! THAT'S WONDERFUL! NOW GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"  
Yugo gave the man a frown of disgust.  
"You know what? Why don't _you_ get us down?" He spat. "For Crimson's sake I'm eleven years old! I don't know how to drive!"  
"Well I don't either!" The man snapped back. "I steal runners, not ride them! Besides, you got me up here. You can get me down."  
Yugo opened his mouth to argue but realized there was no point. He sighed and rolled his eyes back towards the runner.  
 _"Okay. This can't be too hard. Let's just try turning."  
_ It was much easier to think up here. The fresh air cleared his thoughts and the flight speed wasn't nearly as fast as ground speed.  
He reached for the handlebars and squeezed one tightly. Blackwing slowly turned through the air, as graceful as a swan. The dollhouse-like pier was just beneath them now, but it got further away with every second.  
 _"Sweet! Now how to get down without…falling…and dying…and-Nope! Don't panic! Just figure out which button it is."  
_ He looked back over the dashboard and began the process of elimination, just like before.  
"Mmmmmmmm…Are you done yet!?" The man was getting antsy, his clenched nails cutting through Yugo's shirt.  
"Let go of me!" He swatted the man away. "I need to focus and you're not helping-"  
"Road!"  
"What!?"  
Yugo looked ahead just as the wheels rolled onto black pavement. As they hit the ground, the wings shot back into the sides and the runner raced off at the same pace as before. Yugo yelped and yanked the handlebars, sending them racing once again down the road.  
 _"This doesn't make sense! How are on the street!? The ground was way below us!"_  
That was all he time to think about. Blackbird zoomed relentlessly into traffic and Yugo had to focus  
BEEP! BEEP!  
BEEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEP!  
BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEP! BEEP!  
His ears rung with the sound of angry car horns as he yanked the handlebars left and right away to avoid the vehicles.  
"AIIIIEEEEEE!"  
The man behind him let out a squeal and squeezed Yugo tighter. Yugo felt his arms lock up as the runner knocked against cars and buses like they were inside a pinball machine.  
CLANG! CLANG! BEEP BEEP! VROOOOOOOOM!  
Yugo's teeth were clenched so tightly they hurt and his hands were numb from squeezing the handlebars.  
 _"What's going on!?"_ Yugo's mind pulsed wildly. _"Why are we on a road!? Why are there so many cars up here!? I…I….I…."  
_ "We need to get out of here!" The man screamed in Yugo's ear. "We need to get out before they find out we're here!"  
"Wh-wh-what!?" Yugo squeaked out the question. "Wh-where is…"  
"Attention drivers! Pull over to the side of the road and put your hands in the air!"  
A deep voice suddenly crackled out of pair of speakers on the dashboard.  
"Ah gods! They're right behind us!" The man yelped again and buried his head into Yugo's back. "That's it! I'm dead! I'm going to be locked away for good! Just like my brother was! And it had been such a great day before…"  
The man whimpered over and over again, but Yugo was still trying figure out what the heck was going on!  
 _"Just calm down Yugo! Duel Runners are made to balance on their own and there doesn't seem to be any cars now. It's a straight. There isn't anything to bump into. You just have to look…over your shoulder…."_  
What he saw following them was worse than he could have imagined.  
Only a short distance behind them was small squad of men. Each were dressed in grey uniforms, white helmets and dark-tinted glasses that hid their eyes from view. They all rode pristine white Duel Runners with the name of their group painted on the front.  
Sector security.  
Yugo had never seen them in person before, but he'd heard stories about the heartless members of the Topsider's private watchdogs who used the defenseless Commons as their own personal punching bags. The disgusting excuse for 'law enforcement' that only cared about themselves and their paychecks.  
That alone sent Yugo into further panic, but even worse terror came when he realized the reason they were chasing him. Not because of vandalism or theft or anything else that might be reasonable.  
All around them towered crystalline structures and buildings that sparkled like the sun itself. Swirling roads that seemed to float in midair surrounded them. Even the street itself boasted fresh paint and smooth roads that could never be found in the Commons.  
They were in Topside.  
And they were going to pay for it.  
"Attention drivers! This is Sector Security!" The voice from the speakers repeated, a bit harsher this time. "Pull over to the side of the road and put your hands where we can see them! This is your last warning!"  
As much as Yugo tried to fight them off, more stories flooded into his mind. The Facility was the punishment that awaited Commons who trespassed into Topsider turf. There you would be branded for life, left to the mercy of guards who didn't care and prisoners desperate for a fight, locked away from the outside world forever.  
 _"CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN! Calm down! Calm down!"_  
Yugo forced himself to breath. Sector Security was waiting to arrest him, and he was stuck on a runaway duel runner. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? Could he even do anything?  
For once the man behind him took action. He reached over the boy's shoulder and held down the button beside speakers. It was the one that activated the built-in radio.  
It seemed this guy knew a little about Duel Runners after all.  
"We can't stop!" He shrieked at the radio. "Please! This is all just a big accident! We can't stop this crazy thing!"  
"What!?" The Sector Security officer barked. "Explain yourself!"  
Yugo couldn't believe this. What was this guy thinking!? Trying to reason with Sector Security? You'd have a better time trying to reason with a rock!  
"Well it's a long story but a certain little BRAT," The man spat the word directly at Yugo. "Broke into my garage and set off my malfunctioning duel runner-"  
"That's not what happen-OW!"  
The man slapped the back of Yugo's head and continued.  
"The brakes are out and it won't stop going! I swear I didn't have any intention of trespassing! I'm just a humble repairman who's never even driven one of these things before! Please if I could just get this thing to stop I'd happily head back to the Commons and we could forget this whole mess ever happened."  
There came a pause from the other side of the radio.  
"All right. I have an idea. Can you pull over to far-left lane?"  
"Yes! Yes of course!" The man glared down at Yugo and hissed. "Do what he says kid!"  
Yugo wanted to protest but with Sector Security closing in there wasn't anywhere else to go. With a grunt, he carefully turned the handlebars. The runner slid smoothly to the left and Sector Security followed behind. Suddenly, the screen in front of Yugo lit up with the image of a field spell card and a new robotic voice came through the speakers.  
"DUEL MODE ENGAGED-AUTO PILOT ACTIVATED."  
Yugo yelped as the runner jolted from beneath him, loosening his hands from the bars. However, the runner remained steady.  
"Hey! I didn't know there was auto pilot!" Yugo marveled as the runner turned smoothly on its own. "Cool!"  
"A TURBO DUEL IS ABOUT TO COMMENCE-COMBAT LANE IS UNDERWAY-ALL NON-DUELING VEHICLES MUST VACATE THE COMBAT LANE IMMEDIATELY."  
The remaining cars began to slow down as they pulled to the opposite side of the highway. A road divider appeared between them, blocking the runner off from any other lanes.  
"Whoa….so cool!"  
"All right, you're out of the way for now." The original officer was back on the radio, reminding Yugo that they were still in major trouble. "Now do you have a deck on you?"  
Yugo's hand went to his pocket where he could feel his cards bulging through the fabric. The stories about Sector Security almost always involved them stealing someone's deck, the thought of which was nauseating.  
But the man had no such reaction.  
"Yes we have a deck!" The man said, nudging Yugo in the arm as he did so.  
Yugo fought back the urge to punch him.  
"Good. Slip it into the Deck slot and I'll tell you what we're going to do."  
Before Yugo could stop him, the man had ripped the deck out of his pocket and into the slot. A duel field appeared on the screen.  
"Hey! What are you doing!? That's my deck!" Yugo shouted. He reached for his cards, but the man pinned his hand to the bar.  
"Ok! It's in!" The man snipped into the radio.  
"Good, now listen up." The officer began. "I'm going to summon a monster, then I'll end my turn. When your turn starts, summon a monster out with as few attack points as you can in defense mode and end your turn. If I can drop your life points to zero, that'll allow the S. to stop your breaks manually. Got it?"  
"G-got it! Whatever you say!" The man reached for the deck to draw his hand.  
"Don't you dare touch my deck!" Yugo's free hand clamped onto the man's arm and dragged it away from the cards.  
"Quit it! Kid! Stop that!" The man took both of Yugo's arms and pinned them behind the boy's back. "I'm trying to get us…out of this!"  
"Ow! Yeah, because getting caught and thrown in the Facility is SO much better!" Yugo shouted viciously. With a growl he lifted his legs and pushed against them handlebars, crushing the man back into the seat.  
"AGH! At least they might…let us off easy! You considered…that?!" The man grunted as he tried to sit back up.  
"Are you….kidding?" Yugo struggled to keep the man down. "If that's what you think is going to happen then your just a-MMMMMPFF!"  
One of the man's hand clamped around his mouth and the other went for his throat. Coughing and sputtering for air, Yugo lost his footing and the man pinned him against the dashboard.  
"Now you listen here you little brat!" The man hissed into his ear, his voice wild with panic and rage. "This whole mess is your fault! If those officer's weren't chasing us right now I swear I'd wring your filthy neck! Now you're going to shut up and let me handle this, got that!? I don't give a darn about you or your stupid card game!"  
Stupid.  
Card.  
Game.  
Yugo was done.  
"AAAAGGGGHH!" The man squealed as Yugo bit into the man's fingers. His hand fell away, giving Yugo time to break free.  
"GET OFF ME!" Yugo turned and shoved the man as hard as his body would allow.  
At that same moment, the runner hit a curve in the road and swung to the side.  
"WAAA-"  
The man's cry was cut short. One minute he was slipping off the side of the runner, the next he was gone. Already a mile behind him.  
Yugo stared at the empty spot, breathing heavily. His hands instinctively returned to the handlebars as he tried to process what had just happened.  
Had he just…  
"Hello!" The gruff radio voice broke the silence. "Hey! What was that? What just happened?"  
Dazed and confused, Yugo couldn't reply.  
"Hey! Hello? I know you're there! Now answer!"  
Yugo said nothing.  
"That's it. I'm driving in closer!"  
Yugo heard the rev of an engine and gripped the bars tighter.  
 _"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"  
_ That was all he could think as the Sector Security officer pulled up alongside him. Now Yugo could see who'd been barking though the radio this whole time.  
The officer was a big man, especially when compared to the tiny runner he was driving, dressed in the grey uniform and white helmet that marked him as the terror to Commons. His dark face was as hard as stone with a threatening scar running down its left side.  
Yugo gulped.  
"All right you filthy Common!" The officer shouted above the roar the engines. "Now you better explain what just happened or else I'll…."  
His threat ended abruptly as he stared at Yugo who shaking fervently and clinging to the runner as if his life depended on it.  
"Your…your just a kid!" The officer frowned. "You're the one who tried to steal this runner, weren't you!?"  
Yugo's mouth had gone dry and the most he could do was shake his head.  
 _"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"_  
The officer's expression…softened?  
"Look kid…calm down. Nothing bad's going to happen." The officer's voice sounded sincere and Yugo wanted desperately to believe him.  
"I want to get you out of this. I just need your help." The officer explained. His gaze suddenly lowered to his dash board as he tapped the screen. Then he spoke firmly into the runner's microphone.  
"Pursuit Override-Let's Duel!"  
 **Yugo: 4000 LP /Officer Trudge: 4000 LP**  
The image on the dashboard screen changed to a virtual duel field and a blinking arrow gestured at his deck. Without thinking, Yugo drew his first hand. He felt some relief at the of his Speedroid monsters. They were the cards he'd gathered himself and as long as he had them, there was nothing he couldn't do …though admittedly he'd never done anything like this before.  
"All right kid, just hang on!" The officer shouted. "I summon Jutte Fighter!"  
He set a card down on his duel disk. The hologram of a small bespectacled man appeared above him, brandishing what looked like a knife."  
 **ATK 700/ DEF/ 900**  
"With that, I end my turn." The officer turned his gaze back on Yugo. "All right, you're up! Just summon as weak a monster as you can! Hey! Can you hear me kid!? Hey!"  
Yugo stared down at his cards and tried to block out everything else. He couldn't afford be scared right now.  
There was no way this guy was trying to help. The second that officer caught up to him, he'd be locked up for the rest of his life. Then what would happen to Blackbird?  
No, there was only one way out of this.  
"Hey! Kid! Are you listening!?" The Officer's voice came through the radio this time. "Look if you can't handle it then just end your turn. I think I can manage with the cards I-"No."  
Yugo's hand slammed the radio button.  
"No way am I throwing a duel to a jerk like you!" He felt a rush of adrenaline. "You people think you can bully whoever you want, but I don't have time to waste in the Facility so if you think you can push me around then you're wrong! I special summon Speedroid Terrortop!"  
He played his card on the Duel Disk and a twirling red top appeared beside him.  
 **ATK/ 1200, DEF/ 600**  
"I can special summon this card from my hand when I have no monsters on my field plus it lets me add a Speedroid monster from my deck to my hand!"  
"What!? No kid! I'm trying to help you!"  
Yugo ignored the officer and searched through his deck for a monster. He couldn't afford to lose momentum. If he doubted himself for a second, who knew what would happen?  
"Next I summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed dice!"  
The dark blue pyramid landed beside his top, its smooth edges gleaming in the sunlight.  
 **ATK/ 300, DEF/ 1500**  
"Now I tune my level three Tri-Eyed dice with my level three Terrortop!"  
With a flick of his hand, the two monsters rose higher in the air. The dice split into a trio of glowing green rings that wrapped around the little top, seemingly crushing it into three white sparks of light. Then there came there came a blinding flash.  
"I Synchro summon, Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"  
The two little monsters disappeared and in its place hovered another toy. This one was larger than the others, resembling a pair of crossed hourglasses with a long large diamond in the center.  
 **ATK/ 2200, DEF/ 1600**  
Yugo glanced over at the officer and was pleased to see the man look of surprise.  
"Hi-Speedroid Kendama! Attack Jutte-!"  
"I activate Jutte Fighter's special ability!" The officer interrupted. "Once per turn I can target one Attack Position monster you control and switch it into Defense Mode!"  
The little Jutte Fighter chuckled as he thrust out his hand, forcing Yugo's monster to take the defensive.  
Yugo scowled.  
 _"Well…no one said this was gunna be easy."  
_ "Kid what are you doing!? I'm not going to-"  
"I activate Kendama's special ability!" Yugo shouted. "By banishing Terrortop from my graveyard, I can deal you 500 points of direct damage!"  
The toy let out a gust of wind from its tip, blasting the officer in the face.  
 **Yugo: 4000 LP /Officer Trudge: 3500 LP**  
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!"  
Yugo beamed as he slapped down his card. He'd just dealt damage to a Sector Security officer! Wait until he told Rin-Rin about this!  
He glanced back at the officer. His confidence wavered under the man's scowl. Somehow he looked even scarier than before.  
"All right you little twerp! You want a fight!? I'll give you a fight! I summon Stygain Street Patrol!"  
Just beside his little fighter appeared a demonic creature a villainous grin on its face riding on a black motorcycle.  
"I tune my level four Stygain Street Patrol with my level two Jutte Fighter!"  
With a battle cry, the little man transformed into a pair of glowing green rings and enveloped the horned rider in light.  
Yugo tightened his grip on the handlebars.  
"Uh-oh."  
"I Synchro Summon! Goyo Guardian!"  
When the light faded, there stood a towering warrior with a fearsome painted face. He looked like a samurai wielding a long rope with a metal piece swinging from one end.  
 **ATK/ 2800, DEF/ 2000**  
"Whoa! Cool!" Yugo marveled. "Uh I mean…sure it's fine"  
"I activate the continuous spell, Banner of Courage! With its effect, my monster gain 200 attack points during my battle phase!"  
The warrior was surrounded by a pale-yellow glow and its face grew even fiercer.  
 **ATK/ 3000, DEF/ 2000**  
"Goyo Guardian! Attack Kendama!"  
"I activate-whoa!" Yugo yelped as his runner turned a corner, nearly tipping him off the runner. His voice caught in his throat as he straightened himself back up and before he could finish his sentence, the warrior swung his rope at the large blue toy. His monster shattered in a burst of pixelated confetti.  
 **Yugo: 3200 LP /Officer Trudge: 3500 LP**  
"Aww! No!" Yugo mourned. The runner wobbled again and he clung tighter onto the handlebars.  
"Now due to Goyo Guardian's special ability, when it destroys a monster I can summon that monster onto my field in defense mode!"  
"Wait what!?"  
Yugo's monster reappeared beside his opponent's warrior, losing its bright colors in the process as it changed into defense mode.  
 **ATK/ 2400, DEF/ 2000**  
"During my turns, it'll get the same 200 attack point bonus as Gogo Guardian, but for now I place two cards facedown and end my turn." The officer declared. "You ready to give up kid!?"  
"Never!" Yugo fiercely drew his next card, hoping he sounded braver then he felt. "I summon Speedroid Horse Stilts!"  
A two-legged motorized horse galloped onto the field with a trail of fire erupting from its exhaust pipes.  
 **ATK/ 1100, DEF/ 1100**  
"I activate the trap card, Climactic Barricade!" The officer responded loudly. "I can only activate this card when you normal summon a monster. It prevents level 4 or below monsters from attacking this turn."  
"Well that's nice and all…" Yugo shrugged. "But my monsters won't be sticking around for long! When I normal summon Speedroid Horse Stilts, its special ability let's me summon one level 4 or below Speedroid monster from my hand! And the one I'm bringing out is Speedroid Den Den Daiko!"  
A little duke appeared with a large drum-tipped staff and a determined gleam in his eye that matched Yugo's.  
 **ATK/ 1000, DEF/ 1000**  
No sooner than he arrived, the duke split into a trio of rings that ensnared the horse as the steed burst into four bright lights.  
"Now my level three Den Den Daiko tunes my level four Horse Stilts to create a whirlwind of destruction! I synchro summon, Clear Wings Synchro Dragon!"  
With a burst of light, his mighty dragon appeared beside him. Yugo couldn't help but stare. He'd never seen his monster as a hologram before. It's crystal wings, it's sleek scales, it's shining eyes; it looked amazing! And it was so big! If it could cast a shadow, it would have covered the whole street in darkness. Instead it was made from bright projected light and as far as Yugo was concerned, nothing had ever looked so beautiful.  
 **ATK/ 2500, DEF/ 2000**  
"Gotcha!"  
The officer's shout pulled Yugo's gaze away from his dragon and back onto his opponent, who shot him a victorious smirk.  
"I activate the trap card, Discord Counter! Since you synchro summoned a monster, I can send that monster back to the extra deck and the monsters used to summon it back to the field."  
"W-W-WHAT!? NO! You can't-"  
Yugo watched helplessly as his dragon faded from the field and his horse and duke reappeared in its place.  
 **ATK/ 1100, DEF/ 1100  
ATK/ 1000, DEF/ 1000**  
"Just so you don't get any ideas," The Officer added smugly. "Discord Counter also keeps you from summoning a monster until the end phase of your next turn."  
"WHAT!?" Yugo repeated, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. "B-but…that was my best monster!"  
"That's not my problem." The officer's face took on a grim frown. "Now are you ready to quit, kid?"  
Yugo gulped, but shook his head.  
"N-no. I can…" His voice trailed off. "I…I end my turn.,.For now!"  
"Good because now Climatic Barricade's other effect kicks in and you take 500 points of damage for each level four or below monster on your field!"  
 **Yugo: 2200 LP /Officer Trudge: 3500 LP**  
 _"Dang it! So that's why he played that card! Because he knew I'd still have monsters on the field!"_  
A bubble of dread began rising up in his stomach. He wasn't going to be able to summon anything, let alone Clear Wings, for three turns! And there was no way his monsters were going to last that long!  
"My turn. I draw!" The officer barely glanced at the card. "Goyo Guardian! Attack Den Den Daiko!"  
The warrior gave out at battle cry as he rushed at the little duke.  
"I…Uh...uh…" Yugo stammered. "Oh wait! I activate Tri-Eyed dice's special ability! By banishing it from the graveyard, I negate your warrior's attack!"  
The warrior froze mere inches away from the duke and reluctantly leapt away.  
Yugo let out a sigh of relief.  
"Lucky break kid!" The officer shouted. "Hi-Speedroid Kendama! Finish off that duke!"  
There was nothing Yugo could do but watch could as the toy crushed the little duke into dust.  
 **Yugo: 800 LP /Officer Trudge: 3500 LP**  
Yugo wanted to hit himself. If he'd activated that ability when Kendama had been attacked earlier, it would still be on his field and he wouldn't be in this mess!  
"I end my turn with a facedown." The officer finished. "All right kid, you ready to calls it quits? Just forfeit and I'll-"  
"SHUUUUT UUUUP!" Yugo yelled at the top of his lungs. Sweat was dripping down his brow, but his face was cold with the winds that rushed all around him. He took a deep gulp of air. "Just…shut up! You say whatever you want, but I'm…I'm going to win!"  
 _"What am I saying!? I can't do this! I can't! I'm going to get locked away forever and let Shinji down and never see him or Martha or Rin-Rin ever again. I'm sorry! I am so sorry! I never should have done tried to fight this guy!"_  
 _"Yugo! Don't you dare quit!"  
_ The image of Rin-Rin popped into his mind with hands on her hips, scolding him like she always did.  
 _"How are we going to win the Friendship Cup if you can't even handle this!? Come on! You can do this! I know you can!"_  
Yugo's hands tightened around the handlebars.  
 _"You're not alone, you big dummy! You're never alone! So stop being scared and start being…Yugo!"_  
Yugo's gaze shifted towards his extra deck, where he could see his Clear Wings waiting.  
It would take a miracle to get out of here…and that was exactly what was going to happen.  
He drew his card and looked down at his hand. A fresh jolt of adrenaline shot through his veins.  
He could do this. It would be close, but he could still do this.  
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!"  
"Really?"  
Yugo flashed the confused officer a smile.  
"Well? You gunna go? It's your turn. Or are you scared of a commons kid?"  
"That's it!" The officer angrily drew a card. "Fun's over kid! Goyo Guardian! Attack Horse Stilts!"  
The warrior growled viciously as it swung its rope towards the defenseless horse.  
"Really?" Yugo beamed fiercely. "Cause I'd say the fun has just begun! I activate the trap card, Speed Turn! Since I still control a Speedroid Monster, I can switch one monster on your field into defense mode and it loses 500 defense points! And I pick Hi-Speedroid Kandama!"  
 **ATK/ 2400, DEF/ 1500**  
The blue toy suddenly flipped into defense mode, just as Goyo Guardian's metal blade crashed into his horse with an explosion of yellow sparks.  
"Now I activate the trap, Dimension Wall! Meaning you take all the damage I would have taken from that attack!"  
"What!?"  
 **Yugo: 800 LP /Officer Trudge: 1600 LP**  
"YES! YES!" Yugo thrust his fist in the air. "ALL RIGHT!"  
"I end my turn." The officer growled, but Yugo hardly noticed. That had been the hard part. It should be all downhill from here.  
"My turn! I draw! And I activate the spell card, Shock Surprise! I banish two Speedroid monsters from my graveyard to destroy the two monsters on your field!"  
The space surrounding the officer became a pixelated bomb field as both the warrior and the toy exploded into sharp sparkles.  
"Now since I don't have any monsters on the field, I can summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand!"  
 **ATK/ 1200, DEF/ 600**  
A new rose-colored top twirled onto the field.  
"You have two? The officer groaned.  
"Three actually. I mean who wouldn-whoa!" Yugo yelped as he hit a sudden turn. "Who wouldn't!? Anyway I summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice from my hand!"  
A small golden die popped into the air, embellished with an Egyptian eye and surrounded by small fizzing red sparks.  
 **ATK/ 100, DEF/ 100**  
"All right, now my dice's special ability lets me target one other monster and pick a number! Then if it rolls the number I pick, that monster becomes the same level! I say Terrortop is going to be level six!"  
With a tap of the touch screen, the golden die jumped into the air.  
"You're risking your whole strategy on a dice throw!?" The officer exclaimed. "Are you crazy!?"  
The die landed in mid-air with the number facing upright.  
It had rolled a six.  
"Looks like my crazy payed off!" Yugo laughed. "Now my level one Red-Eyed Dice tunes my level six Terrortop to bring back the monster you tried to get rid of! Welcome back, Clear Wings Synchro Dragon!"  
With a triumphant roar, the glistening white beast reappeared on the field in a burst of green and white light.  
 **ATK/ 2500, DEF/ 2000**  
Yugo's grin doubled as his dragon reappeared, but he knew he couldn't stare for too long. That was what had cost him last time.  
"Since I special summoned Clear Wings, I can now summon Speedroid Rubberband Plane!"  
A little toy plane with a mischievous face appeared beside the colossal dragon and began flying laps around its head.  
 **ATK/ 1800, DEF/ 0**  
"I activate Rubberband Planes special ability! I can target Clear Wings and make him lose 600 attack points!"  
The plane zipped high into the sky, almost out of sight, and with whir of its engine fell into a nosedive straight at Clear Wings.  
"What!?" The officer was completely lost. "Why would you hurt your own monster!?"  
"Because when a level five or above monster targets Clear Wings with an ability, my Clear Wing's ability activates!" As Yugo spoke, the dragon raised its head and blasted the plane into splinters with a gust of wind that erupted from its jaws. "Clear Wings negates that effect and destroys the monster! And if it does, it gains that monster's attack points!"  
 **ATK/ 4300, DEF/ 2000**  
Yugo's heart was pulsing wildly and every muscle was tense with the thrill of the duel. He raised his hand in the air as he called out the final attack.  
"Clear Wings! Hit him with Spinstorm Sky Strike!"  
The dragon pulled back his head as it sucked in a lungful of cold air and with ear-splitting roar released a raging tornado that blasted straight at the-  
"I activate the trap, Blazing Mirror Force!"  
Before the attack could reach the officer a pale blue force field appeared in front of him, blocking the blow.  
"When you declare an attack, this card destroys all attack position monsters you control and we both take half their combined attack points as damage!"  
 **Yugo: 0 LP /Officer Trudge: 0 LP**  
"Noooo!"  
The wheels of Yugo's runner suddenly stopped and Yugo was thrown forwards by the momentum. His face banged against the dashboard, which now showed the word 'TIE' in bold letters.  
"Ouuuch." He grumbled as he rubbed his head.  
"Hey! You okay kid!?"  
The officer had leapt off his runner and was rushing towards him.  
Without a second thought, Yugo jumped out of his and began running in the other direction. He had to get away. If he did then maybe he could come back later for Blackbird.  
That plan died as strong hand grabbed him by the collar.  
"Let me go!" Yugo screamed at the top of his lungs. "Let me go you big bully! Let me go! Let! Me! Go-"  
Another hand clamped over his mouth, muffling his screams.  
"Would you calm down for one second!?" The officer roared.  
Yugo fought and screamed and struggled as hard as he could, but little by little the fears he'd been fighting against began to trickle back into him.  
He hadn't won. He'd failed. He was going to be locked away forever. He'd never see Shinji or Martha or Rin-Rin ever again.  
He finally fell limp in the officer's grip and clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep from crying.  
This was it. It was over. There was no hope. There was-  
Yugo's eyes reopened as he realized the officer had seated him on the Sector-Security runner.  
"All right then." The officer released Yugo and took a knee, putting himself at eye level with the boy. "Now that you've gotten that out, I want you to tell me what happened."  
With a small sniffle, Yugo crossed his arms and gave the officer the meanest scowl he could manage.

"Well at least you're not gullible." The officer grumbled. "Look, you're right not to trust Sector Security. We don't trust Commons either and on a normal day, I'd have already taken you in to custody." The officer scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "But well…look. I just want to know what happened, okay?"  
Yugo turned his head away, biting his lip to keep it from trembling.  
The officer let out a sigh of annoyance.  
"This is why I can't do kids…"  
"Officer Trudge! Officer Trudge! Do you copy? Over!"  
A voice called out from the duel runner's radio. Keeping his eyes on Yugo, the officer reached for the button.  
"Officer Trudge here." He said in his booming voice. "Have you taken the criminal into custody?"  
"Copy that!" Came the reply. "He's got some nasty road burns and he's as skittish as a rat, but other than that he's fine."  
Yugo looked back towards the radio.  
"Did you figure out who he is yet?" The officer asked.  
"Roger that! His name's Nezumi Kraks and he's already been accused of robbery and running an illegal Duel Runner dealership. He'll be stuck in the Facility for life now! Have apprehended the other speeder yet? Over?" The voice on the radio continued.  
The officer turned his stern gaze back on Yugo, who fought not to cower back. The two locked eyes for a full minute.  
Then the officer's gaze softened.  
"Bad news." He told the radio. "Looks like he got away."  
Yugo's jaw dropped.  
"What!?" The radio gasped. "Wasn't the rider a kid? Kraks said-"

"And you're believing a lying scumbag like that!? I just dueled the other guy!" The officer's voice was still harsh, but he was smiling. "Yeah, he wasn't much to look at, but he was one heck of a duelist! I lost track of him when he jumped the rails over at Kokaku. Listen, once you get that rat to the Facility I want all available officers to get over there and look for him! A criminal like that cannot be allowed to escape!"  
"Copy that! Over and out!"  
"You're…you're letting me go!?" Yugo gaped as the officer got to his feet, not even objecting when the officer moved him off the runner.  
"Well, that depends on what you tell me on our walk." The officer tapped a space on the touch screen and the runner zipped off on its own. "I was told you and your 'friend' had broken in intentionally as an attack against the Topside and I'm pretty sure that's not what happened. Our new director is a bit too suspicious for my tastes, so I've been looking for some perspective."  
As he spoke, the officer strode towards Blackbird and took hold of its handlebars.  
"Hey! Don't touch that!" Yugo shouted angrily, but the officer shot him a look.  
"Kid, this thing's heavy. You're not getting it anywhere before the other officers catch up to you. Actually, here…" The officer stepped around to the other side of the Blackbird. "You better get on. It's a long walk to get you home and it'll be faster if I'm the only one walking."  
Yugo stared skeptically at the officer. This had to be a trick, didn't it? He was a Topsider! And a Sector Security officer!  
As he looked the man's face over though, Yugo felt his doubt slipping. The other kids said you could always see the cruelty in their eyes. That's why they covered them with glasses and helmets so much. With this man though, even though his face was scarred and gruff, he didn't see a trace of cruelty anywhere.  
Yugo cautiously approached Blackbird and after a few more seconds, climbed back into the seat.  
The officer gave him a small smile.  
"Why don't you start with your name?" He said as he began to push Blackbird down the street. "I'm Officer Trudge."  
"I'm…My name's Yugo. Yugo Sayogo." He replied and returned the officer's smile with one of his own.

"YUGO! YUGO! YUGO WHERE ARE YOU!?"  
Rin-Rin's throat felt scratchy and dry. Her feet were numb from walking and her head was boiling from the sun that burned down on her but she kept on yelling as she wandered along the port.  
"Oh Yugo." She mumbled hoarsely. "Where did you go?"  
It had been over an hour since Yugo had disappeared. The last she'd seen him, he'd been riding that duel runner down the pier with the thief. By the time she'd gotten to the end of the pier, he was gone without a trace.  
The image of the runner falling into the ocean popped into her mind. Yugo sinking into the sludgy sand and getting trapped somewhere beneath all the litter and garbage dumped there by the Topsiders.  
"Come on…stop that." She mumbled, shaking the thought away. "He'll be fine. He's Yugo. He has to be fine."  
Rin-Rin broke into fit of coughs. She leaned against a nearby dumpster and reached for a water bottle she'd stuck in her pocket. In a few seconds she'd gulped down the entire thing.  
"Ahhhhh! That's better." She sighed in relief as she threw the bottle into the dumpster. "I hope the others are having better luck."  
"Errrrgh! Errrrrrrgah! EEeeeeeeeaaaaggah!"  
Rin-Rin titled her head. It was faint, very faint, but she could hear grunting. Slowly she stepped away from the dumpster towards the source of the sound.  
"Rrrrrrgh! Rrrrrrup! Eeeeerrrr-whoa! Whoa! Whoa! WHOA!"  
There came a shout followed by a loud clattering of trashcans. A cat sprung out from an alleyway with a loud meow.  
Ignoring her aching legs, she dashed over to see what the commotion was about  
"Hey! Are you okay over there!?" The alley was littered with overturned trashcans. Further away she saw the shadow of a figure lying on the ground.  
"Hang on! I'm coming!" She waded through the garbage, trying her best to avoid anything too sticky or moldy. "Don't worry! I'll be right there! Just give me a…Yugo!?"  
There he was, propped up on one of his arms and out of breath. He looked up and a bright smile stretched over his face.  
"Rin-Rin!" He was suddenly on his feet, hugging his friend. "Aw man am I glad to see you! I've been wandering around here forever and the Blackbird was getting heavy! Seriously! You have no idea how hard it is to push that-"  
SLAP!  
"OW!" Yugo rubbed his face. "What was that for!?"  
"Do you have any idea how worried I've been!?" Rin-Rin's face had gone red and her eyes were shiny. "How worried we've all been!? I had to tell Martha you know and you should have seen her face! Now we've all been out here trying to figure out what happened to you and you've just standing here like nothing….nothing…"  
Rin-Rin took a deep breath and threw her arms around him.  
"Oh where have you been!?"  
"Oh man! Wait until I tell you! It was…" Yugo voice trailed off and he frowned. The last conversation he'd had with Officer Trudge still rung in his ears  
 _"All right kid. This tunnel leads to one of the dumping sites in the Commons. That's as close to home as I can get you. You gunna be okay walking this thing?"  
"Of course I will! Thanks for everything Trudge! I guess Sector Security isn't so-"  
"Don't say that."  
"Huh? Why not?"  
"I want you to stay on guard. Maybe I'm a nice guy, but if that Director gets his way I think things are going to get a lot worse. Hey…don't tell anybody about this, all right? I'm gunna be in enough trouble as it is."  
"Ok. Thank you again though!"  
"Don't worry. With your skills, I bet you'll be up here dueling again in no time. Now get a move on!"  
_"Yugo? What is it?" Rin-Rin frowned angrily. "Did you do something? Really! You just can't stay out of trouble can-"  
"No! I didn't! It's just that…" Yugo tilted his head side to the side as he bit back his secret. "I…I got Blackbird back! Here, see!"  
He dashed to a nearby dumpster. Blackbird had rammed into it when he'd tripped, but she still seemed to be ok.  
"Come on! I need your help getting her back!"  
Yugo grabbed onto one of the handlebars and Rin-Rin took hold of the other. It really was heavy, but together they slowly wheeled the runner back into the street.  
"Don't you start trying to distract me!" Rin-Rin pouted "I know that smirk! That's the one you make when something really cool happens! So tell me! I know you want to! I promise I won't tell!"  
"Oh come on! It wasn't that big!" Yugo tried to hide his smile, but he already knew that there was no way he could hide something like this from her. She knew him too well. Luckily if there was one thing he knew about her, it was that she'd never tell a secret.  
Besides, what good was it to keep secrets from your partner?  
"Okay! Okay! I'll spill, but only once we get Blackbird back to Shinji. Deal?"  
Rin-Rin pouted, but only for a minute.  
"Fine! You can be a pain though, you know that?"  
Yugo grinned but said nothing as the two of them wheeled the duel runner down the street, back to the shop where it belonged.

The End __


End file.
